Gred and Forge Go Trick or Treating
by HallowRain8587
Summary: When Hermione and Ginny take their children trick or treating with Hermione's cousin's family in the United States mischief and mayhem ensue.


**Gred and Forge go Trick or Treating**

**J.K. Rowling owns the characters, I just decided to let them have a little Halloween fun.**

**A/N:** Now, dear reader, you must remember the following in order to understand this story. Fred died during the battle of Hogwarts. Hermione married Ron and their children, Rose and Hugo were born in 2006 and 2008 respectively. Ginny married Harry and their children, James, Albus and Lily were born in 2005, 2006 and 2008 respectively. This story is set in 2010. Now on with the tale.

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><p>Hermione was regaling the Weasleys, children and adults alike, with stories of her childhood and a particular visit to her cousin Elinor in Maryland over Halloween when she was seven years old. "And then we got dressed up in costumes. We wore them to school. Then there was a parade where each class in turn went into each classroom and all secretly voted for the best costume of the room. After all had paraded the school had an assembly and the principal announced who was the winner from each class. All of the winners went into the middle of the gym and everyone got to vote one more time for the best overall costume, scariest costume, prettiest costume, and most imaginative costume. Elinor won most imaginative. Because I didn't go to school there I couldn't vote or be voted for, but because I was a computer chair that went with her computer desk with her face as the screen, they gave me honorable mention."<p>

"What kinds of costumes were there?" asked Molly.

"Some of the kids had store bought costumes and others had ones their mothers or fathers had made or helped them make. There were princesses, hobos, train engineers, football players, librarians, witches, devils and all kinds of animals."

"Do grown-ups dress up, too?" Ginny wanted to know.

"Well, not in 'adult' attire for the school party." Hermione went on, "After supper when it started to get dark Elinor and I each were given a plastic pumpkin shaped basket and a flashlight. Then her dad drove us to all the houses in the neighborhood to trick or treat. Then we went over to her grandmother's so she could see our costumes and Elinor could show her the costume award from school."

"What is trick or treat?" asked George.

"Well," Hermione answered, "it is a really tradition in the U.S. where the kids all go to the houses in the neighborhood, knock on the doors where there is a porch light on, and when someone answers the door, they say, "Trick or treat?" Then the person in the house gives you candy, or if they are dentists like my parents they give you tooth brushes. Some people who think kids are too fat give small toys. In the old times if the house didn't have lights on or didn't have good treats, the kids would play tricks like putting the pumpkin decorations on the roof or in a tree, or soap the windows. When tricks began getting destructive and out of hand with the older kids, towns made rules to limit the trick or treating to elementary students or would have carnivals to draw the attention somewhere else. Now with some people poisoning candy or putting sharp objects in it, towns do not allow trick or treating or have one trick or treat in the shopping mall or district and all the stores have candy they give the kids as they walk by in their costumes."

"What's the fun in that?" was the comment from Fred's ghost. (You know he hung out with George all the time, didn't you?)

Ginny asked, "Do you think there is any way we could take the kids to the U.S. so they could experience some of this frivolity?"

"Elinor might be willing to take us," said Hermione. "She has two kids, one the same age as James and the other is Hugo and Lily's age. Let me call her and then we will need an international portkey to Maryland if it is okay."

Hermione placed the call and also floo called the International Magic Transportation Department to arrange for a portkey to Maryland that would get them there in time for supper on Halloween. They would have to wait until All Saints' Day to return.

Harry and Ron were working and would not be free to go with Hermione, Ginny and the kids. That's when George said, "I think Fred and I should accompany you."

Hermione shuddered, then said, "Okay, but no pranks." He agreed, but she did not see his nor Fred's fingers crossed behind their backs.

A week later all were gathered in their costumes, waiting for the portkey to activate. The kids decided to wear the full works including masks when they arrived at Elinor's back door. Hermione was dressed like she had stepped out of a Jane Austen book while Ginny was dressed like Mary Poppins. Rose was a princess and Lily was a big dog. James wore his Quidditch robes because Hermione said that professional sports team costumes were popular, however Ginny drew a line at him taking his broom with him. Hugo was a bookworm and Albus rounded out the group by only drawing a lightning bolt on his forehead and wearing really baggy clothes. George arrived holding an oversized deck of cards and wearing the skin of a great white. When asked about his costume he only replied, "Card shark." Fred had a shark costume, too, but over it he wore the uniform of a nursing sister. Ginny just shook her head and hid a laugh behind her hand.

"It's almost time," said Hermione, "everyone grab hold of the black umbrella."

A short time later the group landed in the back yard of Elinor and David Greene. Kids tumbled to the ground, the adults landed with great aplomb and Fred floated in. After Ginny collapsed the umbrella for the return trip, the group made their way up the back steps, across the deck and rang the doorbell. When Elinor's daughter, Jane, came to the door and recognized her mom's cousin Hermione, she opened it. "Trick or treat," the guests shouted in unison, except for Gred and Forge who made ghostly noises.

Elinor called from the kitchen, "Come in and let me see your costumes." Jane put a candy bar in each pumpkin as the kids walked through the door and gave Hermione a big hug. Her eyes opened wide at the sight of Forge with Gred peeking over his shoulder, "What are you?"

Together they said, "Sharks!" Then separately added, "Nurse" and "Card".

"Mom," screeched Jane, "Cousin Hermione brought a real ghost! Can ghosts trick or treat?"

The rest of the evening seemed uneventful and all had fun going out and knocking on doors. When they returned to the Greene residence, Hermione explained to the British kids that the tradition was to now pour the candy out and sort through. Putting aside what they really liked and putting the rest into the family candy bowl for anyone to take. "No hoarding the chocolate, Ellie," laughed Hermione. They made two family bowls, one to stay and one to go the next day back to England. Ellie popped popcorn and they sat around in the family room telling ghost stories. It was decided that Fred had an unfair advantage, but Elinor, Dave, Jane and Tom, their son, were delighted with hearing for the first time about the Hogwarts ghosts, while they told much tamer ones about creepy cemeteries and such. After midnight all the kids were tucked into sleeping bags on the family room floor while Gred and Forge or was it Forge and Gred took Tom's room and Ginny took Jane's. Hermione was given the guest room.

Minutes later an owl was tapping on George's window. Harry sent a howler! The whole house was awakened to, "**FORGE! WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING? HALF OF THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES HAS GHOST SIGHTINGS? THEY SAY THEY SAW A GHOST SHARK IN A NURSING SISTER'S UNIFORM ACCOMPANYING ONE WITH A GIANT DECK OF CARDS AND INSTEAD OF ASKING FOR TREATS THEY WERE GIVING OUT CANDY! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WE HAVE TO FIX AND OBLIVERATE BECAUSE OF CANARY CREMES AND TEN TON TOFFEES? YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE AS DEAD AS GRED WHEN YOU COME HOME. I WOULD STRANGLE HIM TOO IF HE WEREN'T ALREADY DEAD**." Everyone in the house rushed to Tom's room in time to see the howler give George a raspberry, turn itself to confetti and burst into flames that were immediately extinguished.

Just when they thought that was the last of it a second owl dropped off another howler, this time from Molly and it was addressed to Ginny and Hermione, "**WHAT WERE YOU TWO DOING THAT YOU COULDN'T HAVE BEEN PAYING CLOSE ENOUGH ATTENTION TO JAMES. THERE IS NEWS OF THREE PUMPKINS FLOATING AROUND ASKING FOR TRICK OR TREATS FROM MARYLAND TO CALIFORNIA. DID YOU NOT MAKE CERTAIN THAT HE DID NOT HAVE HIS FATHER'S CLOAK? KINGSLEY HAD ORDERED YOU TO HIS OFFICE IMMEDIATELY UPON RETURN**."

Hermione just laughed, "The American press exaggerates as much at the _Daily Prophet_. At least nobody asked what the Quidditch robes were before he covered up."


End file.
